Windenburg House of Representatives

The House of Representatives of the State of Windenburg is the lower House of Parliament, with the upper house being the Windenburg State Senate. Both chambers convene in the Windenburg State Parliament, in the District of Windslar.

The House consists of 205 Members of State Parliament (MSPs) and is the primary House of Government. The First Minister of the State of Windenburg sits in the House of Representatives along with most state Cabinet Ministers. The Chamber is presided over by an impartial Speaker of the House, who is elected at the beginning of each new Parliament by MSPs.

Members of the Windenburg House of Representatives are granted the post-nominals MSP for the duration of their term, and the honourific title ‘The Honourable’ for life.

Leadership
The House of Representatives is presided over by an impartial speaker who is elected at the beginning of each new Parliament. The Speaker has considerable power as they decide what legislation sees a vote in the House. The Speaker also has the final confirmation power on committee appointments.

The House’s legislative agenda is guided by the Leader of the House of Representatives, a senior member of the governing party appointed by the First Minister. The Leader of the House works with the Government Whips Office to organise government business and to allow time for backbench business.

The leader of the state government is the First Minister, who is the leader of the governing party or the senior party in a coalition. The First Minister, along with many State Cabinet Ministers report back to the House and face scrutiny by MSPs.

The State Cabinet is shadowed by the opposition parties, with the official opposition forming a Shadow Cabinet to hold the Cabinet to account and being led by the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the second largest party.

The current Speaker of the Windenburg House of Representatives is The Rt. Hon. Craig Lyman MSP. The First Minister is The Rt. Hon. Mila Lothario MSP. The current Leader of the House of Representatives is The Rt. Hon. Haruka Nakano MSP. The current Leader of the Opposition is The Rt. Hon. Zach Bradford MSP.

Terms of Office
A Parliament lasts a total of 3 years and, unlike the Senate, all seats in the House go up for reelection. Therefore, the term of office for MSPs is 3 years, with no term limit.

Debating Chamber
The chamber’s green tones are based off of the Federal House of Commons. Unlike the Commons there are no benches. Instead, MSPs get their own chairs. The seats are arranged in a horseshoe shape to encourage collaboration whilst not stifling debate. In the well of the chamber there is a large table with podiums from which government and opposition ministers can make speeches. 2 clerks sit in the well. The speaker sits on a raised platform at the far end of the chamber with a desk. On the wall behind the Speaker is the Coat of Arms of Windenburg.

Candidate Qualifications
To run for the House, a candidate must be a Simlish citizen and, if running for a constituency, a resident of that constituency. Those on the party list who are not running for a constituency must be a resident of the state.

Employees
The Clerk of the House is a position that has existed since the creation of the House and is responsible for administrative duties. The Clerk has responsibility for all Bills and must ensure that the Scroll of the House (minutes) is published daily. The Clerk, along with Junior Clerks, act as advisors to the Speaker on Parliamentary procedure. The Clerk is also responsible for the swearing in of MSPs.

The Speaker’s Chaplain is appointed by the Speaker and conducts the House’s daily prayers.

The Sergeant-at-Arms has existed for as long as the House has and is responsible for enforcing the rules. The Sergeant is custodian of the ceremonial mace and must present the mace to the House everyday.

Current Parliament
Currently the Socialist Labour Party leads a coalition government with the Green Party, giving the government a total of 106 seats. 103 is needed for control of the chamber.

The Official Opposition is the Conservative Party with 76 seats. The remaining seats are split amongst several parties.

Seating
Following the example of the Federal House of Commons, the government sits on the right hand side of the Speaker, and the opposition on the left. The front row of seats on the right is known as the ‘Government Bench’ as this is where all government Ministers sit. The front row on the left is the ‘Shadow Bench’, as this is where Shadow Cabinet Ministers sit. Those who are not members of the government or Shadow Cabinet are referred to as ‘Backbenchers’ after the House of Commons.